


I'm Here

by Aermir



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall
Genre: Aged up!Twins, Fluff, Holiday themed stuff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, pinescone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5544536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aermir/pseuds/Aermir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wirt finds that he’s somehow managed to become the Beast after returning from the Unknown, and in his panic, he flees, ending up in Gravity Falls. Dipper catches wind of Wirt’s presence, and well, goes to investigate. He hadn’t expected the events that would follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Here

**Author's Note:**

> This was a gift to someone on tumblr, as they wouldn't have gotten their Secret Santa gift if I hadn't of written it. I had a lot of fun writing this, even though I was up hella late, but it was still totally worth it.

“Come on, Dipper! We’re going to be late for the bus!” Mabel called from the bottom of the stairs. 

“Tell them to hold on for a couple more minutes!” Dipper called back, frantically shoving clothes in his bag. He had taken more time to pack up his laptop, tablet, and his expensive headphones than even thinking about which clothes he was going to take. Situations like these always happened when they were going on trips and the twins were usually always late. 

“Dipper!”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming downstairs!” He threw his stuffed bag over his shoulder, quickly going down a mental checklist to make sure that he got everything he would need for the next two weeks while staying with his grunkles at the Mystery Shack. 

“ _ Dipper! _ ” Mabel’s tone had changed to one of warning. 

“I'm here, I'm here. Don't get your sweater in a knot.”  

Mabel huffed at her twin as he descended from the upper floor. “It's a miracle we get anywhere on time. What were you even doing?”

“Making sure I had everything. Don't act like you don't do that.”

“I do, but it's a good amount of time before the bus gets - oh, crap! We gotta go!” Mabel gasped, grabbing her brothers hand and fleeing out of the house with him in tow. 

“Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!” both of the twins said before boarding the bus, passing the annoyed bus driver and taking their seats at the back of the bus. Dipper immediately pulled out his phone and began typing away, replying to comments on his webcomic. He had gotten the idea to start one when his sister mentioned how good he was at drawing, and along with her suggestion, he started a webcomic based on their past experiences at Gravity Falls. People loved it; some demanded that they have more, some said that him updating his web comic made their week, and others complimented him on the brilliance of it. Dipper had left a note on his last page that the next update would be later at night due to his grunkles internet being slower than a turtle. 

Dipper put his headphones on and reclined back against the seat once replying to most of the comments. There were always more to respond to, and Dipper felt a little guilty when he didn't. 

The twins enjoyed the ride to Gravity Falls in silence, Dipper nodding off listening to music while Mabel excitedly texted Grenda and Candy, already planning on going out and doing their thing. Eventually, they arrived at Gravity Falls. Both grabbed their bags and headed off the bus, expecting to have to walk to the Mystery Shack, but found that their Grunkle Stan had parked by the bus stop and was waiting for them inside his ancient vehicle. 

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel cried, rushing towards him.

“Hey, kiddo,” Stan grinned, letting out an _oomph_ when Mabel threw her arms around him for a bear hug. 

“Hi, Grunkle Stan,” Dipper said, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving his grunkle a smile. 

“Glad you guys could come for Christmas. Ford’s back at the house making some hot chocolate for us.”

“Sweet! Hot chocolate! Hot chocolate!” Mabel whooped, scurrying to get inside the car. 

Dipper put his bag in the car, shooing Mabel so he could have some room. Stan, having already left the car on to keep it warm, put it in reverse and back up, then turned it around and started driving to the shack. 

“Anything interesting happen back home?” Stan asked. 

“Dipper’s webcomic is a lot more popular. People love it!” Mabel said. 

“Maybe you’ll find some more stuff to put in it while you’re here.” 

Stan was ecstatic when he found out that Dipper was beginning to do a webcomic because it’d lead to more customers at the Mystery Shack. He upped the prices on everything and those ‘suckers would give up a limb for something at the shack.’ Ford disapproved, but Stan said that they would need the money if Ford was to keep up with his research. There had been a lot to work out when Ford came back from being lost somewhere in another dimension for thirty years, and with a lot of convincing Ford let Stan stay and run the Mystery Shack. Tensions were high for a couple months, but the two brothers worked it out and now they were good with each other, much to Mabel and Dipper’s relief. 

Ready to get out of the cold, the twins and their grunkle dashed inside, relishing the heat of the shack. Ford had gotten the hot chocolate made by the time they got home, and all of them gratefully drank it. 

“It’s delicious, Grunkle Ford!” Mabel complemented, having already downed most of hers. 

“Glad you liked it. It’s been awhile since I’ve made hot chocolate as well.”

Stan lazily sprawled out on the recliner with the twins on the ground, having grown too big to fit on the armrests anymore. They had brought another chair into the already small living room for Ford so he’d have a place to sit, though he had claimed that he had something important to do and couldn’t stay with them for too long. 

Eventually, Dipper grew bored and wandered up to his room, deciding to unpack everything on his side of the room. He took over the desk by placing his laptop on it, setting up his studio for the next two weeks. He was so immersed in what he was doing he didn’t hear Ford coming up the stairs. 

“Dipper?” 

The teen spun around, hearing his grunkles voice having scared him. “Y-yeah, Ford? You need something?”

“We need to talk.” 

“Yeah, okay. What’s up?”

Ford sat down on Dipper’s bed. “I found something new the other day.”

“Is it a new supernatural being? A new species that’s never been seen before?”

“I don’t know yet. Usually, I would go out and investigate, but I have other matters to attend to. I noticed this tall figure walking around near the beginning of November, and it looked like it had these antlers and carried some sort of lantern. It doesn’t seem like it poses a threat, but I still want to figure out what it is. I was hoping that you could help me with this.”

Dipper nodded, a million thoughts already running through his mind. “Sure. From what you’ve said, I’m definitely interested in figuring out what this creature is too. There’s still some time left today, so I’ll go see what I can find. Where did you last see it?”

“Near the hollow where the pixies like to hang around. I want to say that it has a home around there.” 

“Alright, I’ll go see what I can find today.”

“Thank you, Dipper.”

“No problem.”

As Ford left the room, Dipper began to think as to what he would need to bring. His own personal journal that he had started to keep his own findings in was a must; it was similar to the three journals that Ford had. He still had access to them, but had practically memorized everything in it from his summers at Gravity Falls. He’d bring his phone too, though there were a lot of spots that he didn’t have signal. Once Dipper had laid out all of the things he was going to take, he slipped into a thermal shirt, then put a longsleeved shirt over that, and finally a jacket. He put his stuff in a small backpack and slung it over his shoulders, ready to go. 

Stan and Mabel looked up at him when he walked into the living room, asking him where he was going. Dipper explained that he needed to go find something that Ford had mentioned, and both of them weren’t too pleased with that. Dipper promised that he’d be back before dark, and grudgingly they agreed to let him go. 

Dipper was alright for the most part, but as he trekked deeper into the woods, a feeling of dread settled over him, which he found odd because he never had any sort of trouble in this neck of the woods. Dipper’s eyes darted around, looking from tree to tree, to the ground, up to the sky, along the mounds of snow, but found nothing unusual. 

And then he heard it, a haunting melody echoing through the silence of the forest. 

**_Come wayward souls,_ **

**_Who wander through the darkness,_ **

Dipper began walking in the direction of where he believed the voice was coming from. 

**_There is a light for the lost and the meek,_ **

**_Sorrow and fear,_ **

He broke into a run, some unnatural force urging him along. He had to find the source of that forlorn voice, he had to. His legs burned as he trudged through the snow, leaping over any fallen branches and weaving through the bare trees. His breath came out in ragged gasps, his lungs prickling with the cold air. Dipper’s stamina began to falter, growing weaker and weaker. He never got tired this fast. But something was in that voice, and he wanted,  _ needed,  _ to find that person who was casting their voice out into the forest. 

**_Are easily forgotten,_ **

**_When you submit to the soil of the earth._ **

Dipper tripped, falling to the ground. He rolled over on his back, arms and legs out as if he was going to make a snow angel. He stared up at the sky, struggling to catch his breath. Snowflakes fell gently on him, slowly covering his body bit by bit. His eyelids grew heavy, so heavy that he had no choice but to close his eyes, almost instantly drifting off into blackness. 

A lone figure watched him from the trees. 

  
\-----------------------------------  
  
  


Wirt was never one believed to run away from home. Everyone thought he’d stay in his room forever, too scared to come out. Both he and his brother had suffered traumatic events after falling into the lake, somehow both ending up in the Unknown for weeks, wandering aimlessly in search of a way to find their way home. When they had found the path to take them home, back to the real world, after Wirt had dragged Greg and their frog, Jason Funderberker, out of the lake and passing out on the shores as his friends rushed to help him, he hadn’t thought much of the Beast's parting words to him that only he seemed to hear. 

_ “Don’t let the lantern go out.” _

It wasn’t until he woke up in his bed, two days after getting out of the hospital, that something was wrong. It was usually freezing in his room, but Wirt was fine. He didn’t feel cold at all. In fact, he felt great, more aware of his surroundings. He could even see perfectly fine in the dead of night. 

On the third day, that’s when he felt the antlers. He was brushing his hair one morning, and his brush got caught on something. Wirt moved his hair to the side and saw something that resembled a branch, and his breath hitched. It looked exactly like the antlers of the Beast. Wirt freaked and locked himself up in his room for the rest of the day, refusing to come out and only accepting food that was brought to him by Greg. 

Greg. Oh  _ god.  _

He couldn’t tell his brother that he was… he was… turning into the Beast. Everything that was happening to him related to the powers and appearance that the Beast had. 

That next morning, he woke to a lantern sitting on his desk. Wirt bit down on his arm to prevent himself from screaming. A strong flame burned within the lantern, beckoning Wirt over to it. He picked it up, feeling an instantaneous bond with it. That was his soul in there. He could  _ feel  _ it. 

And it terrified him. 

Wirt fled to the bathroom to check his appearance, and his antlers were now visible, more so than before. He couldn’t stay. He just couldn’t. Having to explain everything to his parents as to why he looked like this now, and the idea of Greg seeing him was unbearable. 

And so he ran. 

Wirt, donning on his cloak and hat from Halloween, fled from his home in the early hours of the morning, way before anyone would wake. He ran and ran, not stopping until he collapsed from exhaustion. He didn’t know how far he had gone, or where he was. All he knew is that he had to keep running so his parents and brother wouldn’t find him. 

Eventually, Wirt ended up in a town called Gravity Falls. He could sense that there were beings like him within the large forests surrounding the small town, and made his home deep within the forest. Luckily enough, Wirt found a large tree that hung over the entrance to a cave, which is where he decided to make his home. He made it as comfortable as he could with a makeshift bed made out of straw. He was lucky enough to find an old rocking chair that had been inside an abandoned home. Wirt took advantage of that, raiding the home and making his little cave almost like his room back home. 

No. 

That wasn’t home anymore. This was his home. 

Wirt soon found that he didn’t need to eat or drink anything, as his body went through some physical and internal changes. The antlers on his head grew bigger, but not big enough so that it was a hassle. His eyes went from brown to the eyes of the Beast, which had red pupils, a dark yellow ring, a lighter yellow ring, and a pastel green surrounding it. 

He had accepted the fact that he would be alone for the rest of his life until he saw someone walking through the woods. He trailed them for a while, but eventually lost sight of them. Wirt, letting out a sigh, then taking a deep breath, began to sing the song that he heard the Beast sing while he was in the Unknown. Little did he know it would lead to that person running after them as if they were under some spell. Wirt watched them as they fell to the ground, their energy spent. He felt bad, really bad, knowing that they had driven this person to exhaustion. And so, he lifted them up, carrying them to his home and laying them down on his bed. Wirt would have sat in silence, waiting for them to wake, if he had not noticed how blue their skin was. 

Wirt fled outside to find some wood to start a fire. He didn’t calm down until his little room was warm and the person laying on his bed started to stir. 

The boy got up, still sitting in the bed as he looked around, a look of confusion plastered on his face. 

“You’re awake,” Wirt said, his voice rusty from disuse. 

The boy jumped upon hearing his voice, his eyes landing on Wirt sitting in the rocking chair.

“Who… who are you?” he questions, his voice laced with suspicion. 

“My name is Wirt, the Beast, whichever you chose to call me by.” 

“What are you doing here?”

“I live here.” 

“I mean, what are you doing in Gravity Falls?”

“As I said, I live here. It’s my home.”

“You haven’t been here very long.”

Wirt faltered. “I… yes, you’re right. But why does it matter?”

“You aren't up to anything bad, are you? Like possessing anyone, killing people, world domination?” 

“What? No! I just wanted some peace and quiet,” Wirt sputtered. Wanting to get the spotlight off him, he then asked, “What's your name? I've told you mine, so tell me yours.” 

“Dipper Pines. How did you end up here?” 

“It's a long story.” 

“I've got time.”

“You were out for a while.” 

“I'm listening.”

Wirt let out a defeated sigh, then launched into the tale of how he arrived to Gravity Falls. Dipper remained silent, occasionally nodding to keep Wirt going. After what seemed like ages to Wirt, he finished his story, leaning back against the chair to wait for Dipper to speak. 

“It sounds like you had a curse placed on you,” Dipper said, his eyebrows knitting together as he thought. He pulled out his journal and flipped through the pages, looking for something to bring more light to the subject. And, with the details of Wirt's story still on his mind, he wrote some notes down on the being. He titled it ‘Wirt/The Beast,’ and hoped he'd be able to sketch him into his journal later. 

“A curse? But this doesn't seem like a curse.”

“It's the only thing that seems fitting to your current… state. Besides, there's a cure for it somewhere, probably in another journal back at the Mystery Shack.”

“M-Mystery Shack?” Wirt queried, feeling a wave of panic rise up within him. 

“Something wrong?”

“I don't think I'm all too welcome there. I came across the shack a while back, and well, I got chased off by some lunatic in a brown trench coat. I was able to lose him thankfully, though I've been sure to not go near that area anymore.”

“That's when Ford saw you,” Dipper said, scratching his goatee. “He's my grunkle, one of them at least,” he quickly added at Wirt's stare. 

“So you must be staying there. Won't your family be worried that you've been gone so long? The sun set about an hour ago.” 

Dipper leapt off the makeshift bed. “Oh, crap! They are going to be worried! I told them I'd be back before sundown. Crap, crap, crap.”

Wirt stood up, their height difference now painstakingly visible. Dipper was just barely eye level with Wirt's shoulders. “Calm down. It'll be alright. You can return in the morning. It's too dangerous to be out in the woods at night, plus there are more dangerous beings than me.”

“What  _ exactly  _ can you do?” 

Wirt settled back down in his chair, motioning for Dipper to take a seat back on the bed. “I haven’t exactly gone out and tested them out, due to me not really wanting to have them in the first place. But, I do know that the cold does not affect me, I can see in the dark, and I don't need to eat or drink anything.” There was another power he had: he could turn any living thing into an edelwood tree, as much as he hated to, but to keep the lantern burning he needed to. Wirt instead found animals that had passed away naturally to turn into edelwood trees. 

He didn't tell Dipper about that power. 

“Interesting…” Dipper scribbled, what Wirt presumed, those facts down into his journal. 

Wirt leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of what the older teen was writing. Dipper didn't seem to notice, continuing to write down little notes. 

_ Still learning to control his powers, may not be as much of a threat if he's contained in time.  _

“You need not to worry about me using my powers for evil,” commented Wirt, leaning back against the chair. 

“You say that now, but it could change in the future.”

Wirt snapped, “Fine, you have powers that you didn't ask for, powers that gave your little brother nightmares, powers that nearly killed both of you in the Unknown. I just want to be normal again.” He didn't notice that the room seemed to grow darker and Wirt's eyes glowed with almost same intensity of the original Beast. 

Dipper quickly raised his hands in defeat. “I'm sorry. I've learned to take precautions in the past. Just… calm down, alright?”

“ _ I am calm. _ ”

“No, you're not. In fact, the room got noticeably darker and colder just now and your eyes are glowing. Clear signs of you not being calm, Wirt.” 

The monster took a deep breath, getting out of his chair and striding over to the door. “You stay here,” he commanded, placing his hand on the doorknob. “I will be back soon. I need a moment to be alone.” And with that, he went outside, leaving Dipper alone. 

Naturally, it was Dipper’s first instinct to run after the Beast, but there was something in his tone that made him lose his will to run after him. Dipper figured it was maybe the fact that Wirt was a lot taller than he was, had deadly looking antlers and terrifyingly beautiful eyes. 

No, wait. That didn't come out right. 

Wirt had eyes that were so interesting that Dipper could spend hours and hours getting lost in them- 

“Oh my god,” Dipper groaned, dropping his head onto his hands. He'd barely known the known the guy for an hour and he was already starting to crush on him. What was going on inside that brain of his? 

Dipper let out a sigh and fell back onto the bed, his eyes roaming around. He laid there for a minute before sitting back up. His eyes landed on an old lantern, the flame within burning brightly. 

Meanwhile, out in the forest… 

Wirt planted his feet on the ground, staring blankly ahead as the snow fell softly from the dark cloudy sky above. Why did that old man had to have seen him? He could still be living peacefully, alone and without any social interaction. But no, that man, Ford, had gone and blabbed his presence to this other person, who in turn came and seeked him out. And then he had the nerve to think that he couldn't control his powers! Wirt had  _ complete  _ control over his powers, as long as his lantern was safe. He'd die if the flame went out.

_ His lantern.  _

Like a deer he bolted, fleeing through the forest with his cloak whipping behind him. He hurled over logs, sending snow flying everywhere as he landed. The cold wind blew flurries of snow into him, driving him back.  He momentarily forgot about his antlers and ended up whacking his right antler against a tree hard. Wirt stumbled and fell to the ground, choking back a cry and cradling his now broken antler. 

“My l-lantern,” he sobbed, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Wirt scrambled up, stumbling towards his home. He burst in, causing Dipper to jump, nearly knocking the lantern over. 

“Don't touch the lantern!” he screamed, snatching the lantern and pushing the other teen away. Wirt held it close, looking it over with a careful eye. 

“Whoa, whoa, explain to me what's going on with you and the lantern. Why is it so important to you?” 

“If it goes out,” Wirt began, “I die. My soul resides in this lantern.” 

“O-oh.” 

Wirt didn't respond and kept staring at the lantern. 

“U-um, your antler is broken. Do you… do you have anything I can use to patch it up?”

Wirt pointed in the direction of a small cabinet. Dipper nodded and walked over to the cabinet, rummaging through it. He found a rag and a bandage, walked over to Wirt, and began dabbing at the bleeding part of the antler. He wrapped the bandage around the antler, hoping that the bleeding would stop soon. 

“Weird…” Dipper mumbled under his breath.

“What is?” Wirt had heard him.

“There’s blood vessels in your antlers, yet it’s horns that have blood vessels. I’m sorry, but I find it strange.” 

“Can’t be as strange as this place.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right about that. It’s still baffling though. Anyways, I think the bleeding should stop soon. You may want to wash your cloak too, since the blood dripped on it.”

Wirt pursed his lips, then nodded and took off his cloak, laying it on the back of the rocking chair. 

Dipper noticed how tense he was. “Something’s bothering you.”

“Something is always bothering me.”

“Is it your powers?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand how you got them. The fact that you didn’t find out you were cursed until days after coming back from the Unknown doesn’t make sense.”

“I’ve learned not to question it.” 

“There has to be a reason why.”

Wirt turned to look at Dipper, “You should get some rest. I can see the dark circles under your eyes. You must have been awake for some time.”

“I forget to sleep sometimes. Get caught up in what I’m doing.”

A faint hint of a smile played on Wirt’s lips, one of the first emotions that Dipper had seen other than the neutral expression that he always wore. “Sounds like what I used to do.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My studies would keep me up late at night.”

“How old are you even?”

“I turned seventeen this year. And what about you? I’d wager that you’re around thirteen with that horrid goatee you’re trying to grow.” 

“I’m sixteen, thank you very much. And my goatee looks fine! My ex said I looked handsome with it.”

“Heh.”

“What are you snickering about?”

“Nothing, save the fact that your ex-girlfriend would think you look handsome with that stubble on your face.”

Dipper coughed nervously. “It wasn’t - uh, it was my ex-boyfriend.”

“... Oh.”

“Yeah, sorry if you’re not supportive of that? I mean, most people I see usually know about it. I lost some friends when I came out and yeah.”

“It doesn’t bother me at all. No, no. I don’t really consider myself to be straight, gay, or anything really. I don’t really like to label myself with anything. Anyways, quit procrastinating. Go to sleep or else I’ll knock you out myself.”

Dipper grinned, “I think I’ll add ‘Commanding personality’ to that page of yours in my journal.”

“Goodnight, Dipper.”

“Night, Wirt.”

  
\-----------------------------------  
  
  


The next morning, Dipper woke to Wirt stoking the fire. He was wearing his cloak once again, and Dipper noticed that there wasn’t a drop of blood on it. 

“You snore like a kitten,” Wirt stated, his eyes not leaving the fire. 

Dipper felt his cheeks heat up. “I-I do not!”

“You weren’t the one that listened to your snoring all night. Ah, I’m afraid I don’t have any food for you to eat. You’ll just have to wait until you get back to the shack to eat.”

“Come back with me.”

“Hm?”

“To the shack. Ford and I can help figure out a solution to break the curse.”

Wirt shook his head, “No. No, no. I’ve heard stories of him from the other creatures around here. I wish not to be poked and prodded like some sort of animal.”

“You won’t be. I promise I won’t let that happen to you.”

“Allow me to think about it on the way there. Get up, and don’t forget any of your stuff.”  Wirt, realizing that he had caused the fire to blaze with more intensity, sighed softly. “Allow me a moment to put out this fire.” 

Once the fire was out, Wirt grabbed his lantern and started towards the door, holding it open for Dipper. Dipper mumbled a quiet thanks and walked outside. Wirt exited his home, and after making sure that no one could get in, began walking through the woods and in the direction of the Mystery Shack. The two made small talk as they walked, Wirt’s nervousness radiating off him and Dipper worrying as to how Ford would react. 

As the shack came into view, Wirt became more and more silent. 

Dipper laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright.”

“I hope so. I really don’t want to be one of those test experiments that aren’t treated like a living being.”

“You won’t. Ford may seem a little insensitive but he can be reasonable.”

Wirt found little comfort in that, finding that he was clenching the lanterns’ handle with an iron grip at this point. Dipper had to place his hand on Wirt’s back to coax him closer to the shack, guiding him inside. It was still early morning, so there were no customers out and about yet.

Dipper opened the door, motioning for Wirt to follow him. 

“Anyone awake?” he called.

“DIPPER!” Mabel screeched, flying at him from thin air. “Where were you last night? You said you’d be back, but it got late and we were all worried sick! And - who’s that?” She peered at Wirt curiously.

“Mabel, meet Wirt. He’s the reason I was out all last night. Where’s Ford? I need to talk to him.”

“I think he’s still down in the basement.”

“Come on, Wirt. Follow me.” Dipper walked to the vending machine that led down to the basement. Wirt followed him, his footsteps silent. They found Ford passed out at his desk, hunched over whichever research he was looking over before he fell asleep. Dipper gently shook him awake, whispering a couple words to him before he noticed Wirt standing there. 

“You found him, Dipper!” Ford exclaimed, jumping up and rushing over to Wirt. He started to run his hand over Wirt’s left antler, but Wirt paled and backed away. 

“Grunkle Ford, don’t touch him. Here, look at this real quick.” Dipper pulled out his journal and handed it to the older man. Ford’s eyes scanned over it, and he nodded thoughtfully. 

“I see, I see. So you’ve been cursed. Quite a nasty one at that too. From what Dipper’s written down, I have a vague idea of how I could remove it from you, though I’ll need a couple days to prepare everything. I’d like you to stay here so I can get more of an idea of the curse.”

“If it isn’t too much of a hassle. I can sleep outside if there’s no room.”

“I can sleep on the old recliner. He can sleep in my bed,” Dipper said. 

Wirt shook his head, “No. You sleep in your own bed. I can sleep on the floor. I don’t mind at all.”

“But…”

“There’s no use in arguing with me,” Wirt stated, crossing his arms. 

“Fine, fine! Now I need to go and explain all of this to Grunkle Stan so he doesn’t freak out.” 

Dipper and Wirt walked back upstairs, and with a bit of convincing, Stan eventually had no problem with the supernatural being staying upstairs with his great niece and nephew. A couple days passed, and Wirt began to warm up to everyone, more so to Dipper. Both hadn’t expected it, but Wirt had  _ somehow _ managed to catch on that Dipper had been subtly flirting with him. 

Mabel had to tell him. 

She started to offer him advice on how to really make her brother blush, and the results were downright hilarious to her. Wirt would get this goofy smile on his face the moment Dipper’s face went beet red. 

Time seemed to fly by, and before they knew it, Christmas eve was upon them. 

All of them sat at the dinner table, just about ready to dig into the food. 

“Wait, wait, wait! We need to say grace!” Mabel shrieked. 

“Mabel, I’m starving,” Dipper whined. 

“You can’t wait one more minute. I’ll go first,” Mabel said, bowing her head. “I’m grateful for me and Dipper being able to come out here to spend our first Christmas with our wonderful Grunkles! And I’m also grateful for us being able to share it with Wirt too.”

“Thanks, Mabel,” Wirt quietly murmured. 

“I’ll go next,” Stan offered, just as ready to eat as Dipper. “I’m glad that you knuckleheads could come out here to be with us. And of course the food. Always the food.”

Ford agreed with Stan with the twins and the food. 

“What about you, Wirt?” Mabel asked. 

“Oh, um, me? I guess I’m happy that I found a cute someone passed out in the woods, else I wouldn’t have been able to join you guys for this meal.” 

“I’m not cute!”

“Yes, you are. Especially when you snore like a kitten.”

“I do not!”

“You totally do, Dipper,” Mabel said. 

“Can we just eat already?”

Stan didn’t even wait for anyone to ask that question and immediately began shoveling food on to his place. The table erupted into chaos, and soon there was food scattered everywhere. Wirt allowed himself to eat a little, finding that food was more delicious than he remembered. He ate nearly as much as Stan, shocking everyone. 

Once dinner was over, they all piled up in the living room, sprawling out to watch some Gravity Falls “Christmas” classics. Dipper tugged Wirt away from the living room, up to the roof. 

“What is it, Dipper?” Wirt asked. 

“There’s… something I need to tell you,” Dipper said, trying to control the nervousness in his voice. 

Wirt stared at him. 

“I think, u-uh, I think I like you.”

A laugh escaped from Wirt. “You t-think? Oh, oh gosh. At least I know that I like you too!” 

Dipper redded. “You… you actually like me back?”

“Of course I do. I know we’ve only known each other for a short amount of time, but oh, man, Dipper, you’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been in ages.” Wirt took Dipper’s hands in his, smiling down at him. Dipper looked back up at him, looking directly into those eyes he thought were beautiful. 

“Your eyes, I love them,” he murmured. 

“That’s a first. Most find them to be terrifying.” 

“Oh, shut up and kiss me.”

Wirt let out a chuckle before leaning down and pressing his lips to Dipper’s. Dipper had to hop up on his tip-toes and wrap his arms around Wirt’s neck to be able to keep kissing him. Wirt noticed and smirked in the kiss. When the time came that the two needed air, they broke apart, gasping for air but happy. Dipper rested his head against Wirt’s chest, hearing his heartbeat. 

“Jeez, Dipper, you took my breath away.”

“Oh, shut up, you nerd,” Dipper laughed. 

“Let’s go inside. It’s a bit chilly out here, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah, sounds great. Oh, and you’re totally not going to be sleeping in my bed without me tonight. You’re stuck with me now.”

“Fine by me.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> BONUS:
> 
>  
> 
> “Dipper, I’m scared,” Wirt said, clutching at his boyfriend's hand.
> 
> “It’s going to be alright. They’ll be delighted to have you back,” Dipper assured, squeezing Wirt’s hand.
> 
> Come Christmas morning, Wirt woke up feeling different. A wonderful different that soon turned into unbridled joy when he found out that the curse had been lifted. He wasn’t the Beast anymore! And that cursed lantern had disappeared. Oh, Wirt was so happy that it was gone. He hated to see that thing in general. Dipper was so happy that he actually cried a little, but quickly wiped away his tears once Wirt noticed. (Wirt almost kissed his tears away.)
> 
> “I’ll knock on the door for you,” Dipper offered as they walked up the steps.
> 
> “No, I need to do this.” Wirt stared at the door. Why was it suddenly scarier than reading poetry to Dipper?
> 
> Wirt knocked on the door, holding his breath.
> 
> The door was flung open, and in the doorway, was a younger boy, his hair tousled and his eyes wide.
> 
> “Greg,” Wirt choked out. “I-I’m home.”
> 
> Greg let out a wail and threw himself into his older brothers arms, his tears falling freely. “Wirt, y-you’re here! Mom, Dad! Wirt’s home!”
> 
> Their parents rushed into the hallway, momentarily frozen by the sight of their lost son standing there, but then they rushed forward, bringing him into their embrace.
> 
> “Where were you?”
> 
> “Why did you leave?”
> 
> “Wirt, who’s that?”
> 
> Wirt wiggled free and placed an arm around Dipper’s shoulders and gave them a shy smile. “Mom, Dad, Greg, meet Dipper, my boyfriend. He… he helped me find my way back.”
> 
> “Come, come! Inside, let’s get out of this cold, then we’ll talk about everything,” his mom said, shooing them inside.
> 
> “Welcome home, Wirt,” Greg sniffled, refusing to leave his side.
> 
> Home.
> 
> Wirt was home.


End file.
